Garden decorating in Boise, Idaho

Garden decorating in Boise is for the yard that's planted but still feels like something is missing. The beds are in. The plants are alive. But when you look out the window, nothing catches your eye, and the garden just sort of trails off.

Garden decorating is the finishing layer. It's the boulders, stone, lighting, water, containers and edges that turn a set of beds into a garden. It isn't about filling the yard with stuff from a store. It's about a few strong pieces in the right spots. I'm Kabe Hockema, and I do this as part of my work as a landscape designer. I've been landscaping here since 2012.

When a garden looks unfinished

You might want garden decorating if:

• Your eye doesn't land anywhere when you look at the yard.
• Beds blend into the lawn with no clear edge.
• The garden looks good by day and disappears at night.
• Bare mulch shows between plants, and it looks patchy.
• You have a corner that's never been more than a corner.

Start with a focal point

Every good garden has a place your eye goes first. It might be a big boulder, a fountain, a specimen tree or a bench at the end of a path. I pick that spot from where you see the garden most, usually a kitchen window, the back door or the patio. Then everything else supports it instead of competing with it.

Boulders and stone

Boulders are one of the best tools I have. A few well-placed boulders give a flat bed shape and weight, and they look good all year, even in winter when plants are cut back.

The trick is setting them right. A boulder sitting on top of the soil looks dropped. I bury each one partway, so it looks like it's been there for a long time, and group them in odd numbers with a mix of sizes. Flat stones can double as stepping stones or a place to sit.

Containers and pots

Pots bring color right up to the patio and the front door, where you'll see them up close. A few large pots look better than many small ones. In our climate, I go with containers that hold up to freeze-thaw winters and plants that can handle a pot drying out in summer heat. Containers on drip irrigation are a lot easier to keep alive.

Edges, mulch and rock

Clean edges make a garden look cared for. Steel or stone edging gives beds a crisp line against the lawn. Then a top layer of bark mulch or decorative rock covers bare soil, holds moisture and cuts down on weeds. Bark looks softer and feeds the soil. Rock lasts longer and suits drier, water-wise gardens. I often use both in different parts of the yard.

Paths are part of this too. A stone path that winds through a bed invites people to walk the garden instead of just looking at it.

Light for evenings

In a Boise summer, the evening is when you're most likely to be outside. Low lighting brings the garden back after dark. I uplight trees and boulders, wash light across a wall, and put soft path lights where people walk. My landscape lighting page covers how I plan it.

The sound of water

Nothing changes how a garden feels like moving water. A fountain can fit in a small bed or next to a patio, and it covers a lot of road and neighbor noise. I build with Aquascape fountain kits, which start from $5,500. For bigger features, like a pondless waterfall or a pond, see my outdoor water feature design page.

Keeping it from looking cluttered

More isn't better. A garden with ten small decorations looks busy. A garden with one fountain, a few boulders and good lighting looks planned. I repeat a few materials, keep colors in the same family as the house, and leave open space so each piece has room.

Budgeting for the finishing touches

• The number and size of boulders, and how hard they are to get into the yard.
• Lighting: how many fixtures and how far the wire has to run.
• Water features, starting with fountain kits.
• Edging length and material.
• How much mulch or rock the beds need.
• Containers, plus any drip lines to water them.

When to start somewhere else

If your beds need new plants before decorating makes sense, start with garden design. If the stone work is the main event, see stone masonry.

Where I work

I work in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Garden City, Star, Kuna, Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton and Hidden Springs, plus Sun Valley and Ketchum.

Finish your garden

If your garden is planted but not quite there, garden decorating in Boise is a smaller project with a big payoff. Schedule a consultation and I'll walk the garden with you and point out where a few changes would make the most difference.